Freedom of Information Center of Armenia.

Name of the sub-grantee: "Rights Protection Initiative Foundation"

Name of the sub-grant project: "Youth for Information Accessibility"

 Brief Description:

The program envisions targeted capacity enhancement of RPIF followed by coverage of Armenia’s poorest region – Shirak, with comprehensive legal support in facilitation of maximum and most efficient exercise of essential rights of the most vulnerable, including women, people with disabilities, refugees, the elderly, women with children under care, victims of domestic violence, etc., regarding their daily needs, in close collaboration with Shirak Progress University legal clinic. The latter’s 15 students under leadership and supervision of a skilled advocate will, after respective trainings, provide legal consultations and carry out public awareness raising to the target population so that they are able to exercise their rights effectively in exclusion of any discrimination, get information and do supervision over municipality’s social-economic activities especially ones concerning state support for the vulnerable, through community visits, development, dissemination of informational guidelines and the online platform that will be created as part of the project that will, inter alia, secure informational, technological accessibility for the program beneficiaries and also host all of the informational resources developed via the project so as to become part of institutional memory. As a result, the capacity of RPIF will be increased including the increase of legal consciousness of law students and their ability to provide legal advice and conduct public awareness sessions to residents of 6 target communities of Shirak region. The capacity of the RPIF will increase in the area of cooperation with local self-governance bodies, institutional links will be developed with local self-governance bodies, information will be exchanged on available issues and possible solutions, which will promote effective cooperation. Consequently, substantially will be increased, transparency of local communities, as well as public oversight will be boosted in community work, regarding issues and their resolution that will contribute to community development in consideration of best interests of the most vulnerable. Also young lawyer-students’ role will be activated, connection between community residents and the active youth will be strengthened, new more democratic culture of resolution of community issues will be developed from which especially the groups will benefit that were deprived of the right to voice their problems conditioned by pre-revolution rooted corruption systems and local connections.

 Actions in Brief: 

1. Creation of online learning and consulting platform and promotion in social networks. Community residents will have an opportunity to receive information on their right local self-government bodies, on the community budget expenditures, planned activities and receive online legal advice.

2. Information leaflet development and printing. 1,500 leaflets will be distributed in 6 communities of Shirak region and in Gyumri. Through the leaflets community residents will receive a basic information on their rights and responsibilities for the community, their right to receive regular information on community activities, and information on the availability of online information and consulting platform.

3. Clinic law students training - at least 15 participants. Student-lawyers will be provided with the necessary knowledge and materials to conduct community outreach meetings and provide legal advice.

4.  According to the schedule developed and approved by the RPIF Project Director, the law students will visit Ghukasyan, Amasia, Jradzor, Jrarat, Maralik and Artik communities under the supervision of advocate to provide legal assistance to community residents and increase their knowledge. At least 25 people in each community will receive information and legal advice.